Taylor, 78, is being treated for symptoms caused by congestive heart failure, a condition the Dame disclosed she had back in November 2004.

Morrison said it's unknown how long she might be in the hospital. She added that Taylor's family appreciated the support from fans, but asked for privacy to allow the medical team space to do its work.

Taylor had been scheduled to attend an amfAR benefit gala Wednesday night in New York, where she was to receive an award alongside President Bill Clinton and designer Diane von Furstenberg, celebrating their dedication to AIDS research.

But she missed the event, so Elton John accepted the honor on her behalf and passed along a message from her: "I am there in spirit and I join you in saluting my fellow honorees and all these extraordinary leaders. I am inspired by their example, exhilarated by their vision, and encouraged by their compassion and love. And I love them in return."

Taylor, who's appeared in more than 50 films, won Oscars for her performances in "Butterfield 8" (1960) and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1966). But she's been just as famous for her marriages — all eight of them, including two to Richard Burton, who she recently said she would have re-married if he was still alive — and her lifelong battles with substance abuse, her weight and physical ailments.